Buddha Shakyamuni, the central figure in this painting, is seated on a lotus, holding a begging bowl and making the gesture of giving. He is surrounded by scenes with narrative depictions of the stories of noble deeds, or avadanas. Landscape elements frame each scene, identified by Tibetan inscriptions in golden letters. The narrative moves clockwise around the Buddha. However, the unifying landscape makes it difficult to distinguish where one story ends and another begins. Three red three-lobed vignettes, giving the title and number of avadana stories, help make sense of this busy tapestry-like painting. On display at the Rubin Museum of Art
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